It’s with great pleasure to introduce this new blog www.alreadyinspired.com to you, which will be my new home for celebrating success in business. It’s all about celebrating entrepreneurs who have managed to succeed against all odds to reach for their dreams and established successful businesses.
Am honoured to kick-start this new blog, with Ryan Bacher, the managing director of the hugely popular NetFlorist online business, which has survived against the dot com blubble.
Tell us about yourself, when were you born and where are you based?
I was born in JHB on the 12th of June 1972 – have lived in Mexico, the Bahamas and the USA but have been back in SA for 10 years and very happy to be here.
What is your business all about and what inspired it?
We sell flowers and gifts primarily over the internet – we have become the largest flowers and gifting service in SA. The idea came to us when we used to work at an internet company in SA and saw the potential for e-commerce (that was in 1999 when NetFlorist was founded).
NetFlorist.co.za is turning 10 years this year, what are major highlights that your business has achieved over the years?
We were able to come through the bomb unscathed (2001 crash) when most other Etailers closed. We were the 1st company to create an ‘affiliate program’ in SA (1999). From 2000 to 2008, we grew at over 35% year on year (this year our growth has slowed slightly as a result of the economic downturn.
How many people do you employ?
65 people
Who are your direct competitors in your niche?
Every corner florist in SA as well as some online players including flowers.co.za, interflora.co.za, floraniche.co.za and iflora.co.za
Running a successful entity like NetFlorist.co.za, I’m sure you’ve received endless buyout offers?
We’ve received a few over the years but we like the industry and back our team to build continuous value for shareholders, so have said no to all offers up to now.
Who are your suppliers, resellers or direct with the farmers?
On the floral side, we buy from farmers and the flower market (Multiflora), on the gifting side we buy from a wide range of suppliers including Ferrero Rocher, Sally Williams, Coach House etc.
With your product line, which is your cash cow, without it you’re out of business?
Red roses and mixed bouquets are where we generate the bulk of our revenue
You have an in-house affiliate program, while you also use www.trafficsynergy.com and www.offerforge.com affiliate programs, how is this arrangement working?
It’s working quite well – we outsource the ‘smaller’ affiliates to the above two management companies and deal directly with our larger partners like eBucks and Discovery Vitality
You recently revamped your website, have you seen results with the upgrade?
Great results, conversion rates are up from 14% to 16% and bounce-rates are down from 29% to 21%. Very encouraging for us.
How do you unwind after a busy day in the office?
Coming home to my 9 month old son’s smile and my wonderful wife does the trick – it’s all that I need.
Is your family involved in the business?
My older brother is a shareholder.
Are you involved in any projects that groom or mentor young entrepreneurs?
I belong to an organization called EO, but that is more a personal growth initiative.
In your opinion are entrepreneurs born or made?
I think maybe their risk profile is born and the higher the profile, the more likely they are to be comfortable in the entrepreneur’s shoes (in my humble opinion).
What are your short and long-term business plans?
Our short-term plans are to keep growth to double digits in these tough times. Our long-term goal is to dominate the flowers and gifting ‘to send’ market in SA and then to look offshore to expand our model.
Is your business affected by the current economic climate?
Yup – referenced above in a few answers.
Thank you for affording AlreadyInspired.com the rare opportunity of getting to know more about the driving force behind the successful www.netflorist.co.za
